The Bowery station is a
station on the
BMT Nassau Street Line
The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is a continuation of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan; it continues to ...
of the
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
. Located at the intersection of
Bowery
The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. "B ...
and
Delancey Street
__NOTOC__
Delancey Street is one of the main thoroughfares of New York City's Lower East Side in Manhattan, running from the street's western terminus at the Bowery to its eastern end at FDR Drive, connecting to the Williamsburg Bridge and Bro ...
in the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
and
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
neighborhoods, it is served by the
J train at all times and the
Z train during rush hours in the peak direction.
History
Construction contracts for the Nassau Street main line in Manhattan were awarded in early 1907, despite no determination of the operator once completed. The line was assigned to a proposed Tri-borough system in early 1908 and to the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...
(BRT) in the
Dual Contracts
The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Ra ...
, adopted on March 4, 1913. Construction of this underground station began in August 1907 and was almost completed by the end of 1910. However, the BMT Nassau Street Line to the south did not open until August 4, 1913, when
Chambers Street was ready for service, and the Centre Street Loop was opened.
This station was originally configured like a typical express station with two
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s and four tracks; express service ran on the inner tracks and local service on the outer tracks. When it was built, the station was an important connection point for elevated and streetcar lines. With those lines long gone, a four-track station was no longer considered necessary.
As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2000–2004 Capital Program, the reconfiguration of the Nassau Street Line between Canal Street and Essex Street took place. As part of the plan, northbound trains were rerouted via the second track from the west, and the former northbound platforms at
Canal Street and Bowery were closed. The second track from the east was removed. Work on the project started in 2001. This change took effect on September 20, 2004. The reconfiguration provided additional operational flexibility by providing a third through track (previously the center two tracks stub-ended at Canal Street), which was equipped with reverse signaling. The consolidation of the Bowery and Canal Street stations was intended to enhance customer security while consolidating passengers onto what used to be the southbound platforms. The project was completed in May 2005, seven months behind its scheduled completion. The project cost $36 million.
The closed platform has been used for
fashion show
A fashion show ( French ''défilé de mode'') is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fa ...
s, a
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
terrorist drill, and for dozens of
movie and television shoots yearly.
Station layout
![Bowery Entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Bowery_Entrance.JPG)
The station has three tracks and two
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s. The fourth track, the former northbound express on the abandoned side, was removed in the aforementioned 2004 renovations.
Mosaics include the name tablet, "B," "newsstand," "Women," and "Men" in raised letters. A unique feature of the station is the arched wall niches at the north end, rather than the standard rectangular niches. The station featured a news-stand and restrooms, all of which have long been closed.
![Bowery Token booth 0143](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Bowery_Token_booth_0143.jpg)
The station has two
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
areas on each side of Bowery. Only the eastern mezzanine is open today; the western mezzanine has long been closed, and stairways to it are blocked. The eastern mezzanine is reached via three flights of stairs or a single
escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...
from the open platform.
Provisions
The east end of the station has a high ceiling; this was to allow for a proposed subway line to pass through it. This section had an opening in the wall separating both platforms to bracket the new line, but has been covered with plywood. At the curve between Bowery and
Canal Street, there is a small provision for a line into
Spring Street Spring Street may refer to:
* Spring Street (Los Angeles), USA
* Spring Street (Manhattan), New York City, USA
* Spring Street, Melbourne, Australia
* Spring Street, Singapore
* Spring St (website), a US based lifestyle website
Subway and trolle ...
, for which no definite plan was ever provided. Due to the depth, there were escalators that were provided in the original construction, one on each platform running to the east mezzanine. The escalator on the south platform was either not installed or removed long ago.
Exits
Two exits go from the east mezzanine to either eastern corner of Delancey Street and Bowery. These are the only open entrances to the station.
The original exit from the east mezzanine led to the median of Delancey Street just east of Bowery; it has since been demolished and sealed.
In addition to the open exits, there are two exits from the closed west mezzanine that go to either western corner of Kenmare Street and Bowery from inside buildings. The exit to the northwestern corner was completely destroyed, while the exit to the southwestern corner was partly repurposed; part of the southwestern exit remains under MTA property as an emergency exit.
It is located immediately to the east of the 10 Kenmare Street storefront, behind a red door.
References
External links
*
*
* Station Reporter â€
J TrainBowery entrance from Google Maps Street ViewPlatform from Google Maps Street View* Abandoned Stations
{{NYCS stations navbox by line, nassau=yes
BMT Nassau Street Line stations
New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
New York City Subway stations located underground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1913
Bowery
Lower East Side
1913 establishments in New York City